Welcome to hell – and I do not use that word lightly. Imagine entering the world only to discover, slowly and painfully, that you were never seen as a child, person, or a life to be nurtured publicly. You were an asset. A revenue stream to the public. A resource to be mined.
From the beginning, people used me for profit. My choices were manipulated, my movements were monitored, my autonomy stripped away. Society refused to pay for what they owed.
By the time I was 30, I was mortgaged out with no home to actually live in. Revolving credit now exceeds the amount originally extended. What? Yes, a personal attack. And… I “owned” property without ever holding the deed, only holding a ballon-payment to the mortgage – a concept that was especially confusing given that I had never ever seen the property, or properties, in person, and I hadn’t even known they existed – though my instincts kept telling me something was off.
There were checks that were returned despite being funded. Chargebacks I never authorized. A million-dollar credit line of debt opened attached my name without my knowledge. Trips, merchandise, and gifts – all charged to me without my knowledge or consent. At one point, I was not allowed to use my own bank accounts, and money was withdrawn without my authorization. As life unfolded, men placed drinks and meals on my tab without my consent. Some men tried to request money as a condition of dating. Funds disappearing from my accounts, and from my purse. Men exploited me for financial gain, with kickbacks taken from my labor. Other presented themselves as my ‘manager;’ inserting themselves into my world to siphon off whatever they could. Some controlled my job bids to profit from me. And throughout it all, men manipulated my earnings and pushed me toward financial collapse.
This wasn’t paranoia. It wasn’t exaggeration. It was my life. And what I’ve described is only a fraction of the financial harm – nowhere near the full scope. It’s astonishing to navigate a life shaped by experience like this.
There were days I could barely breathe under the weight of it. Days when smear campaigns were launched to destroy my reputation so no one would hire me. Days when survival depended on my ability to think beyond the traps set for me – because from birth, people tried to take every cent I might earn.
And here is why I’m telling this story: if you believe this could never happen to you or your daughters, you are mistaken. It can. It does. And for some of us, it has been our reality since the moment we opened our eyes.
This is what hell on earth is like. And when you expose yourself, your husband, or your children to online exploitation, you’re opening the door to a reality like this. Are we clear.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Nicole Nelson, Principal Designer
Photographer: Jona Saine
Necklace: Reed Robinson